Body: | What is the Gift Of Tongues?
One of the most talked about topics in religious circles in the last decade
has been tongue speaking. Contemporary tongue speaking is often confused
with New Testament gifts of tongues, but they are not the same.
The New Testament gift of tongues is described in five passages and you
might want to write the passages down. From these five passages three
things are evident. First, the New Testament gift of tongues consisted of
languages of men which were spoken miraculously, without previous knowledge
of the language. Second, these tongues were given as signs to confirm that
both the man who spoke and the message he spoke were from God. Third, only
those who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and those who received
the laying on of the apostles' hands possessed this miraculous gift.
The first mention of speaking in tongues in the New Testament is Mark
16:17-20. In this passage, Jesus promised five kinds of signs which would
accompany those who believed: (1) Casting out demons; (2) speaking with new
tongues; (3) picking up serpents; (4) drinking deadly poison; and (5)
healing the sick.
In verse 20 Mark says that the apostles went everywhere preaching the word
and the signs followed them. Jesus promised that such signs would follow.
Mark said that they did. These miraculous signs confirmed the new
revelation of the gospel. They did then, and they still do. The gospel was
confirmed then by miracles. Both the message and the confirming miracles
were recorded in the New Testament. We have in the New Testament today both
the revealed message and the confirming signs.
The second passage is Acts 2:4-8. It tells the happenings on the day of
Pentecost. The twelve apostles miraculously spoke in tongues which they
received through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. These tongues were human
languages which the apostles miraculously spoke. Testament gift of tongues.
Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God.
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